Bootjack



April 30, 1968 A. A. PARISH 3,380,634

BOOTJACK Filed Dec. 1, 1966 Fig.

A/berf A. Pan's/1 INVENTOR.

llnited States Patent 3,380,634 BQQTIACK Albert A. Farish, Box 441, Earth, Tex. 79031 Filed Dec. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 598,404 8 Claims. ((31. 223-116) ABSTRACT OF THE DTSCLOSURE This application discloses a bootjack which has a foot stabilized base support and a perpendicular plate upstanding therefrom and having a face from which boot engaging rods outwardly project in diverging coplanar relationship so as to grippingly engage the heel portion of a boot or similar article of footwear for the placement and removal onto and from a wearers foot of a boot or similar article of footwear with handle means upstanding from the perpendicular plate to be gripped by the user and with the rods being movably mounted and useful, apart from the base support, for pulling on a pair of boots.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an extremely simple, compact and eflicient means for placing or removing a pair of boots or similar articles of footwear onto and from the feet of a user with the user positioned in an erect stance and being able to easily control the placement and removal of the boots with respect to this feet.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a bootjack which may be completely disassembled and stored or transported in a minimum or limited amount of space.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide a bootjack which is so desgined that the user can utilize the same, while in a standing position, and can control the same from such position and stabilize the same and which is provided so that the users foot will not slip as the boot is being placed thereon or removed therefrom and so that the boot will not be scratched or otherwise marred or damaged.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide a bootjack, which includes cooperating gripping rods that are versatile so that they can be utilized, in structural association with a base support assembly for the placement and removal of a boot on a wearers foot and in structural disassociation from such base support can be utilized, in association with boot straps, for pulling on a boot.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of a bootjack, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention, and showing the same in use;

FIGURE 2 is a detailed, fragmentary vertical longitudinal sectional view, taken substantially on line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view, showing the removable rods utilized as pullers in association with the straps of a boot for pullin the boot onto the foot of a wearer, and,

FIGURE 4 is a view in perspective of one of the rods or pullers, per se.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, and initially to FIGURES 1 and 2, the bootjack, generally designated by the reference numeral 16}, includes a body or base support 12 including a sub stantially horizontal base plate portion 14, having a flat undersurface 16, which is adapted to be securely held on a floor or other supporting surface by the placement of the foot F of one of the legs of the user on the top or upper surface 18 thereof, as shown in FIGURE 1.

The base support further includes a perpendicular plate or portion 20, which is disposed normal or at right angles to the base plate, with the perpendicular plate 20 and base plate being integral and in the form of an integral right angular plate construction. The perpendicular plate 20 is provided with an upper end portion 22 that is formed with an internally threaded vertical bore 214 for the reception of the lower externally threaded portion 26 of an elongated rod 28, which constitutes a handle means and which has an upper end that terminates in a laterally offset handgrip portion 30. A locknut 31 is provided to secure the rod 28 in position, as shown in FIGURE 1, so that the rod extends upwardly from the plate 20 and terminates in the offset handgrip 30 which, by virtue of the length of the rod 2%, is disposed at a height so that it can be conveniently gripped by the hand of a user, as shown in FIGURE 1, without the user bending over. The perpendicular plate 20 is provided with an outer face 32 from which a pair of puller rods 34 and 36 project, the rods projecting upwardly and outwardly in divergent relations-hip and having end portions 38 which are socketed in upwardly and outwardly inclined bores 4% formed through the plate 20. The puller rods are each provided with laterally projecting pins 42 and 44, the pins being disposed inwardly of the end portion 38 and the opposing end portion 46 and being coextensive in their lateral projection from the puller rods, as shown in FIGURE 4. The pins 42, in relation with the socketed end portions 33, serve as stops to locate the socketed end portions 38 of the puller rods 34- and 36 in the bores 40.

The projecting or outer end portions 46 of each of the puller rods is encased or enclosed with a resilient or plastic cap 48 that serves as a guard to prevent the users foot from s'ipping off from between the puller rods, when the users foot F is disposed between the puller rods for the removal or placement of the boot on the foot, as shown in FIGURE 1. In addition, the caps 48 serve to prevent the boots or similar articles of footwear from becoming scratched or otherwise marred or damaged.

In the use of the bootjack 10, as shown in FIGURE 1, the user places one foot F on the top face 18 of the horizontal base plate so that the fiat undersurface 1:: thereof is firmly held on a flat floor or other supporting surface, thereby stabilizing the base support 12 and locating the perpendicular vertical plate and its associated puller rods against movement. The user places his other foot F between the confronting faces of the outwardly and upwardly divergent puller rods 34 and 36 so that the puller rods grippingly engage the heel portion of the boot and the user stabilizes himself by holdin onto the handgrip 30 of the handle means, While pulling the foot P so as to remove the boot therefrom or pushing downwardly so as to position the boot thereon. Of course, any other type of footwear, such as rubbers or the like, can be placed on the feet or removed therefrom in the same fashion.

The puller rods 34 and 36 are rernovably socketed in the perpendicular plate 26 and are removable therefrom so that they can be used in the manner shown in F1"- URE 3. In this respect, the boot B is provided with straps S and the lateral ends or pegs 42 are hooked within the loops of the straps, while the pegs or pins 44 on the opposite end portions 46 are gripped by the hands of a user and, in this respect, the capped or protectively encased ends, by virtue of the protective caps 48, serve to enable the user to obtain a firm grip, without injuring the palms of his hands, as the puller rods are utilized to pull the boot B onto the foot and leg of the user.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A bootjack comprising a body including a substantially horizontal base plate portion adapted to sit flat on a fioor or other supporting surface upon which one foot of a user may be placed to stabilize the base and an upstanding portion projecting upwardly above said base plate portion including an outer face remote from said base plate portion, cooperative boot engaging rods releasably supported from said upstanding portion and extending outwardly from said outer face at an elevation above said base plate portion in cooperative spaced side-by-side relationship for grippingly engaging the heel portion of a boot or similar article of footwear therebetween, a pair of bores in said upstanding portion opening outwardly through said face, said rods having a first pair of end portions socketed in said bores and each of said rods having a laterally outstanding member engaging the outer face of said upstanding portion so as to locate the socketed end portions within the bores, said rods including outer ends remote from said sockcted ends and including laterally projecting members, the rods being readily removably socketed in said bores whereby the rods can be used as pull rods in association with the straps of a boot for pulling the boot onto the foot and leg of a user with the laterally projecting members on one pair of corresponding ends of the rods engaging the straps of the boot and the laterally projecting members on the other pair of ends of the rods being held by the hands of a user.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein handle means is provided and supported and projects upwardly from said body to a vertical height whereby the same may be conveniently gripped by a user.

3. The invention of claim 2, wherein said handle means includes an elongated rod having an upper offset end constituting a handgrip and having a lower end portion, and means releasably fastening the lower end portion to said upstanding portion.

4. The invention of claim 3, wherein said upstanding portion is formed with an upper end portion having an internally threaded vertical bore and said rod is provided with a lower externally threaded end portion threaded into said bore and a locking nut threaded onto said externally threaded end portion of the rod for releasably locking the same in place.

5. The invention of claim 1, wherein each of said rods is provided with means for preventing the users foot from slipping from between the confronting faces of the rods and for enabling the rods to more securely grippingly engage the boot.

6. The invention of claim 5, wherein said last means includes flexible coverings provided on the rods.

7. A bootjack comprising a base support including a substantially horizontal base plate adapted to sit flat on a floor or other supporting surface and on which one foot of a user is adapted to be placed to stabilize the base support, a generally perpendicular plate upstanding from the base plate and having an outer face and cooperative boot engaging rOCls extending outwardly from the outer face in cooperative side by side upwardly and outwardly diverging coplanar relationship for grippingly engaging the heel portion of a boot or similar article of footwear, means for releasably mounting the rods to the perpendicular plate, bores in the perpendicular plate, said rods having end portions socketed in said bores and each of said rods having laterally outstanding pins engaging the outer face so as to locate the socketed end portions within the bores, each of said rods being provided with means for preventing the users foot from slipping from between the confronting faces of the rods and for enabling the rods to more securely grippingly engage the boot, said last means including flexible coverings provided on the rods, said rods are provided with outer end portions having laterally projecting pins, the pins on the opposing end portions of the rods being parallel and the rods being removably socketed so that the rods can be utilized as puller rods in association with the straps of a boot for pulling the boot onto the foot and leg of a user with the pins on the inner ends of the rods engaging the straps and the pins on the opposing ends of the rods being held by the hands of a user.

8. The invention of claim 7, wherein said outer end portions are provided with flexible encasing caps.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 22,404 12/1858 Ahl 223-117 189,708 4/ 1877 Doisy et al 223-118 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,070 1 1884 Great Britain.

64,562 3/ 1942 Norway. 153,266 7/1904 Germany. 534,361 3/1941 Great Britain. 662,468 l/194O Germany.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

G. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner. 

